Bindu Sundareswaran

*The mirage called life* Stories have always fascinated me. And a good story teller therefore holds a special place in my heart. Director Blessy is one amongst them for his storytelling ability brilliantly portrayed through the movie Aadujeevitham. Praises not to be spared when it comes to the scenes encaptured by the cameramans' lens,the background scores and last but not the least, the realistic transformation and portrayal of characters by all the artists involved. True, the Malayalam film world, is going through a dark phase, but then one cannot deny the immense wealth of talent that exists within the industry. Aadujeevitham is a story that is based on true life incidents that a certain Malayalee encountered in search of riches in the lands beyond the Arabian sea. But it probably holds true for the countless number of faceless Indians who head towards the Gulf regions for fulfilling their dreams and desires of a better future. The story goes back and forth between the deserts of the Gulf , where water is a precious commodity, ....a mirage , mostly, and the rivers flowing through the lush green landscapes of God 's own country.The protagonist played by PrithviRaj makes a megre living by diving to the deep ends of the river beds to scour for sand. It is therefore a portrait of water and sand in reversal. A life and means that he clearly did not enjoy except that he had bigger dreams to chase for the sake of his beautiful wife who was expecting their first child. He leaves with a promise to call her as soon as he reaches the pasture on the other side, but unbeknownst to him , the story takes a turn for the worse and he is unable to make any sort of contact with his loved ones once his journey ends or rather begins in a foreign land. Reality sinks in and the sand that had been his bread and butter turns out to be an irritant, or rather a cold and brutal enemy, to say the least. The water that he had so taken for granted becomes a scarce and sacred entity. The sensuousness of the desert dunes replace the seductive curves of his loving wife, and the aroma held within the jar of a pickle prepared and packed by his loved ones, is his only treasure that he savors ever so often to keep his memories of home alive. To say that there is something treacherous and hideous lurking beneath the shifting sand dunes would be an understatement. But they do so manage to erase ones understanding of space, time and place almost in the blink of an eye. Hunger, thirst and misery, dejection transform a once strong limbed young man into a mere shadow and one cannot help feeling pity for the lead actor as he takes upon the gait of the camel that he herds or the lifeless stare of the sheep he rears in the solitude of desert. He finally does manage to escape his misfortune and return to his homeland with the help of some kind hearted souls. The story is about one man's journey and it is gut wrenching and soul stirring at the same time. A must watch for one to experience the sheer magic of a story told about miseries and the spirit of mankind in search of dreams and undiscovered treasures beyond the comforts of a place called home.

A new generation rom com through and through. Honestly though, I couldn't figure out what all the hype was about. Agreed that Neslen, Mamitha and their support group did a great job at projecting their characters. But that's about it. Personally , I would consider Premam an entertainer anyday while comparing it to Premalu. But then , to each his own.